Impoundments facilitate a biological invasion: Dispersal and establishment of non-native armoured catfish Loricariichthys platymetopon (Isbrückler & Nijssen, 1979) in a neotropical river.

Abstract

Where dam construction eliminates natural barriers to fish movement between previously disconnected catchments then this presents an opportunity for the movement of species between previously discrete assemblages. Here, the movement of a non-native armoured catfish, Loricariichthys platymetopon, is detailed from its natural range in the lower Paraná River basin, Brazil, into its invasive range in the upper basin following construction of the Itaipu Dam. Its upstream dispersal into a major tributary, the Paranapanema River, is outlined, with focus on its establishment within hydroelectric dams. This case study thus provides further evidence of how river regulation can increase opportunities for biological invasions.